China blocks "Egypt" searches on micro-blogs

BEIJING Jan 30 (Reuters) - China blocked the word "Egypt"
from micro-blog searches in a sign that the Chinese government
is concerned that protests calling for political reform in the
country could spill into China's internet space.

Searches on Sunday for "Egypt" on micro-blog functions of
Chinese web portals such as Sina.com and Sohu.com -- sites
comparable to Twitter -- showed phrases saying search results
could not be found or could not be displayed in accordance with
regulations.

More than 100 people have been killed in Egypt in five days
of unprecedented protests that have rocked the Arab world.

On Sunday, more than 1,000 protesters gathered in central
Cairo, demanding President Hosni Mubarak step down and
dismissing his appointment of a vice president.

China issued a warning to its citizens in Egypt on Sunday,
urging Chinese travellers to reconsider their plans or seek
assistance from the Chinese government in Egypt.

Chinese state media has reported on the unrest, including
coverage of the scores of deaths and Mubarak's first appointment
of the vice-president, an announcement that may be a nod toward
a political successor.

On Friday, China's official Xinhua news agency reported that
cell phone and internet access were cut in Cairo.

But China's censorship of its micro-blogs appears to be
aimed at preventing events in Egypt from setting an example of
political opposition at home.

China says the Internet is free and open for its 450 million
users, but the government blocks numerous social networking
sites like Twitter, Flickr, Facebook and YouTube, which have
been used to mobilize protests around the world.
Continued...